Making Sure Your Office Decor Shows Your True Nature
A well-decorated, attractive and appealing office offers a much better message to clients, customers, employees and vendors than a plain-jane, beige-and-grey office with lopsided office chairs, scuffed-up desks and the occasional coffee stain. Here are a few ideas to help the aesthetics of your company match its culture.
Cool and professional, or funky and creative? It’s your choice.
One of the most important decisions to make when setting up or revising your office décor is making sure that it represents the true nature of your business. If you’re a global financial firm handling millions of dollars in assets, the quality and nature of your reception areas, meeting spaces, and working environment should be suitably high-quality. Conversely, a cutting-edge art gallery is the place to break the rules of traditional décor and dazzle the senses. Whether you’re running a cozy coffee shop, a dynamic creative commons or an innovative but nontraditional engineering firm, how your office looks should reflect how it feels to work there.
The first impression of your office is often correct.
When you come to the same office five days a week, the mood, attitude and meaning that your office conveys can often fade into the background like, well, furniture. Taking the time to step out of the day-to-day and really look at what your office conveys can reveal where you can take the best steps to reveal your office’s true nature.
Color conveys a lot.
It’s well-known among decorators and designers that color is a meaningful tool that not only influences mood but also helps boost wellness and productivity in the right setting. A dash of color, even in an otherwise commonplace office environment, can add a welcome bit of warmth without distracting or otherwise negatively influencing employees. This has become such a hot topic of interest that some companies are even hiring color consultants to help them custom design a palette that serves the needs of their workplace environment, communicates a brand, identity and mood that singles out a company for excellence. Whether it’s used to welcome customers or serves as a subtle marketing tool, color matters.
Decorating the Office Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank
It is well-known that some of the biggest and most innovative companies in America started in garages, so why should there be such pressure to set up the most luxurious, pretentious office? Brainstorm creative ways to create the office atmosphere that suits you. Entire non-profits have benefited from donations from firms like IKEA, who are often happy to help out community enterprises. Checking out the local art scene can often unearth iconic artwork that helps define your office. Even giving an up-and-coming designer a chance to design your office can offer a reasonable experiment in trying something new.
